Never Safe Alone
by Zombie-Fighter007
Summary: Sometimes, running away from yourself is the worst thing to do. Sometimes, it's the only way to save your life. Haruno Sakura's drug-filled past hinders her current future. To save it means to change the only thing she has left: herself. -SasuSaku-
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I got this idea off a side story of ****Golden Girls****, and thought it would be cool for a story! I mixed it up a lot, so... yeah! :) Plz read****, review, but most importantly... ****ENJOY****!!!!**

"Muffins," - talking

'Muffins,' - thinking

_The muffins were attacking... - Flash back, short memory, or stressed words_

**Muffins - Author's Note**

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* * *

Wind blew the leaves in the street, making them dance, as limbs were shaking in the cold from being bare. Children's laughter was heard in the middle of the park as they were jumping into the crunchy piles of dead leaves. The sounds of cars in Tokyo, Japan, roared in annoyance.

Sleek black boots clicked the sidewalk that they walked on, as the wearer wrapped her long black coat tighter around her body.

-

_She walked into the bad part of town, hands in her pocket. She was trying to act innocent, but she was a regualr around these parts, and the men that gazed at her knew it._

-

Her shoulder length hair, a light brown color, flipped in the wind. Her honey-amber colored eyes looked at the building in front of her. She flicked her eyes left to the name of the the building.

-

_Her pink hair, tied in a long ponytail, was greasy, from not having a bath in a couple of days. Her emerald green eyes were bloodshot, and dull from sleepless days. They looked at the neon sign in front of her, and read each word._

-

"Tokyo's Universal Bank," she said aloud to herself.

-

_'Dominic's Pawn Shop,' she read in her mind._

-

She opened the door, and took a deep breath of the fresh smelling bank. Her hands ran across the fabric of the couch as she walked towards the receptionist's desk.

-

_She looked around the foul-smelling shop, and scrunched her nose when she smelled something dead. She went to the counter, and rang the bell. _

-

"Hello! May I help you?" the lady at the front asked, her face aching after smiling all day. She looked at the posters behind the straining woman. They all advertised long term payments, identity theft, and intrest ratings. Her lips curled into a small smile.

"Yes," she answered with ease, "Yes, you may."

-

_"What do _you_ want?" a gruff, Italian voice asked behind her, making her jump around, holding a hand over her heart. She took a good look at the man, and noticed his jet black hair on the side of his head greased back with globs of gel. His muscle shirt wasn't long enough to cover his stomach, and his cowboy boots had many scuffs._

_"U-uhm," she started, trying to get her words right. She cleared her throat, and began again, "Y-yeah, about that... You see, I used to be Gerald's customer until he had that unfortunate accident." She made air quotations with her fingers, indicating it was more than an accident._

_-_

"Well," the secratary said, "would you like to take money out of your account?" The appointed woman shook her head, smile never leaving her face. The desk clerk's face fell into a tired frown.

"Do you even _have_ an account?" She didn't want to stay on the computer, asking simple questions that the person can't answer, and then coming to a conclusion that they don't have a social sercurity number because they _just_ remembered they're illegal aliens. Oh, it's happened.

"Oh, of course," the brown headed lady stated, "But I just want to check my balence."

"Oh," taken aback, she opened her note pad, and pen, "Well, what's your name?"

-

_"Oh, yeah. I heard about that." The man, who she assumed was Dominic, laughed at this information, but stopped when he spotted her staring at him with boredom._

_"So, as I was saying..." she continued, "He told me to come here while he is getting well, and that you had... what I came for." Dominic's eyes narrowed. He walked to his desk, and picked up his reading glasses. He flipped through a notebook, and stopped when he came upon a picture of the girl in front of him._

_"Remind me again what your name is?"_

-

"Tadume Uehara."

_"Sakura Haruno."_

-

"Okay," the lady said, "Let's see... oh. It says you don't _have_ an account."

"O-ohhh!" Tadume faked suprise, "I-I know I don't have one here, but... I do... at another bank." The receptionist's face truned sour as she beat her head on the desk in front of her.

-

_"Look," she began, becoming more anxious, and her eyes darting around, "I just want the goods. Do you have them?!" _

_"Maybe I do, maybe I don't." She started to grind her teeth, and clenched her fist. Dominic chuckled, and took a breif case out from under his desk. Her eyes got really big as her twitching hands reached into her worn purse, getting the correct money. Oh, how she longed to put that unused needle in her arm once again. She knew her nose couldn't take anymore, but that didn't mean her arm couldn't..._

-

A bell was heard, and footeps were heard behind Tadume. Her eyes widened as she saw the figure in the mirror behind the receptionist. Said lady tilted her head, obviously confused.

"Um, is something the matter?" she asked, curious to have the lastest gossip in town. The appointed girl shook her head violently, excusing herself to the restroom. As soon as the door into the small lavatory was closed, Tadume shakily turned on the faucet, splashing the cold water against her flushed face. She looked at her reflection in the smudge-free mirror, and saw the pathetic girl from over four years ago.

-

_Sakura watched as her hand holding the money got closer to Domanic's, seemingly in slow motion. Before they reached, a vast light swept through the small shop, blinding them both. Sirens went off, and the grimy man cursed under his breath, piling his stuff clumsily into the case, scurring before he was caught. Sakura was left standing there in shock, wondering how she ever got caught. Her eyes stung, as tears threatened to fall, but she ran down the cluttered hall, towards the small bathroom. Once in, she searched for a window, soon finding one, and trying to open it. Once opened, she crawled through the tiny hole, making her getaway._

-

She pulled her knees against her stomach as she curled in a ball on the toliet's lid. It was a habit of her's, to run away from the police. It was almost sub-conciously, because she knew that her name was never permanent.

-

_Guns pointed straight at her body, never leaving, nor wavering. She was almost as still as the weapons, frozen from fear._

_"Well, well," she heard a voice come through the crowd of men, "Seems we finally found one of his many customers." Sakura squinted her eyes to see past their flashlights, and watched as they parted in two, letting a small man past them. He was wearing a smug look, teeth flashing whiter than the lights around her. Her breathing became fast, and her world spun, before it went completely black._

-

As Tadume opened the ladies' room door, she poked her head out, checking both ways before sliding out, back against the wall. Her stomach churned inside of her as she walked past the curious secretary and police officer with her head held high. She wanted to make it look like nothing was wrong, because was anything? She was jerked back by her elbow, and she did the only reflexive thing she could. She screamed.

-

_As Sakura opened her eyes, everything was blurry. Slowly, she opened her eyes fully, adjusting to the florescent light above her head. She sat a long metal table, handcuffed. She scanned the room, only to find a large black window. No one came to explain to her where she was, and no one had to. She already knew the answer._

_After she had noticed a few of the boring things around her - like the tiles on the floor having a messed up pattern in the middle, or the wall having brown splotches on the walls - the door on her right opened, revealing a man who seemed to be in his late 30s. A handkerchief slid across the sleek table stopping in front of Sakura. She hesitantly picked it up and looked at the man. He coughed and gestured to his nose. She blushed, realizing that she had been crying , and her nose was now running._

_Minutes that seemed like hours passed before she moved. Her body was unusually stiff, and Sakura stretched as best she could to work out the kinks. She soon saw his back relax as well, and they both sat in tense silence. Thirty seconds later, they both opened their mouth to talk._

-

"Whoa!" The man quickly let go of her arm, putting his hands in the air as if he a gun were pointed at him. Unsettled by his quick movements, she staggered towards him, not having him to lean on. She fell on her knees, and saw a fairly large hand extended out to help her. Hesitantly, she took it.

"Sorry about that," he apologized, blushing, while pulling her up on her feet. She crossed her arms over her chest nervously, and looked at the tile on the ground.

"I forgot how jumpy you were, ya' know, on your profile." His chuckled echoed throughout the room. It was a warm laugh, but Tadume didn't dare look up, afraid to meet the pity look in the officer's eye. She knew all along that this day would come. A sigh came from her parted lips.

-

_"Where am I exac--"_

_"I'm sure you're wo--"_

_Both questions lingered in the air. The man smiled, then began again._

_"Sorry about that," he said, "Most people who come in here have a tendency not to talk. But since you were going to, please continue."_

_Sakura felt like she was under a microscope. Now she was interesting because she talked? This was all too confusing._

_"U-uh. Well, I just wanted to know..." she hesitated, trying to decide how what to ask, "where am I?"_

_'_Nice question, Sakura_,' she thought sarcastically to herself. The man took a deep breath, and made his face serious._

_"Well, you're in the _Sopporo Secret Service Office_," he said the name proud, and let it hang in the air for a long second. Sakura's heart began to pound, and her mouth ran dry. _

_"Why?" was what she wanted to ask, but wasn't it kind of obvious. She swallowed - or at least tried to swallow- the lump in her throat, and asked a different question._

_"What do you plan on doing with me?" she whispered fearfully, sqeezing her eyes, a weak attempt to stop the sting in her eyes. She had anticipated this day would come, but she hoped it would've taken longer. He sighed, long and hard, and she immediately was afraid of the answer._

-

She just hoped it would've come later.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: That last chapter was only a prologue, and this continues where it stopped!! Please, please, PLEASE ENOJY!!! XD

* * *

They both drove down the rode in a sleek black car, that was lined with leather on the inside.

"As soon as I saw your profile, I just _knew _that you were worth protecting!" the cop - who had introduced himself as Agent Uzumaki Naruto - jabbered on mindlessly, "And when I saw you fleeing towards the ladies room, I was like, 'Aw man! Not a runner!' But was I grateful for you to come back out! I mean most would've made the escape before someone went in, 'cause that's just what..."

Tadume was blocking everything out, looking out the window onto the highway. She was thankful for Naruto, because she was the first one to actually treat her like a person, not a criminal. But that didn't change the situation at all.

"So anyways, I put my hand on my gun, and I was 'bout to dart out that door, when--"

"What town do I live in?" she interrupted, her voice hoarse from not speaking in several hours. Tadume couldn't wait to see her new house that arrived with her new identity. It was the only thing that kept him _-- _no, it... from finding her.

"Uh--you--what?" Naruto asked, quite confused, "You're going to _move_?" Tadume snapped her head towards him. Of course she was... wasn't she?

"One of the bodyguard's responsibilities is to assign me to a new location..." she eyed him suspiciously, "You _did_ find a location for me... right?"

"Oh. So that was the information on the instructions under the..." Naruto gulped audibly, then added squeakily, "the coffee stain?" Tadume turned her head slowly, rage written all over her face. Even though she didn't say a word, he knew that she was warming up to him.

They always did.

* * *

_"You finally decide to come to me, eh Pet?" He laughed hoarsely, then coughed from all the cigarettes he had congested. Sakura flinched when he slammed papers on his desk. Her face was covered in dirt, itching to be cleaned. Her uncut nails were so long, they started grabbing at clothes when touched. _

_She didn't know why she was here; she had already been beaten for that hour. Did he want to sexually use her again?_

_"Don't look so scared, Sakura. It takes more than a month to get used to the scenery," he laughed again, shorter than last time, and the coughing fit came sooner, "Hey! Look at me when I'm speaking to you!" _

_A hand went across her face, and--_

"Hey!" Naruto screamed in Tadume's ear, playfully slapping her on the face. Her maple eyes fluttered open; so did her mouth.

"Whoa! Hey, now. Shhhh! It's okay! It's me, Naruto, 'member?" He covered his ears in a comical way. Tadume's scream lowered to a huffing of her chest.

"...you okay?" Naruto asked quietly, afraid to frighten the young woman again, "You were asleep, and we arrived at my hou--"

"Asleep! Thank God!" Tadume sighed, relief consuming her. She looked down at her fingernails, happy to find them nibbled short. Where did that awful dream come from? Tadume hadn't had any dreams since months after she was told of him escaping.

Naruto waited silently as Tadume gathered herself together. He observed how she rubbed her temples in circles, clearing her mind, most likely. While looking at her temples, his eyes focused on her hairline. It looked a different color than her simple corduroy brown. A reddish color, maybe?

Tadume's eyes scanned her surroundings, trying to find something familiar, but instead found a rundown apartment complex, hoarding graffiti on the outside where there was still paint.

"Are you coming?" Naruto asked politely, already having her small amount of bags in his hands. Tadume felt she was grateful, but made no notion toward it.

Inside wasn't much better, but it was cooler than the humid air outside. Tadume's hair was sticking to face, saturated with sweat. Although it had been fall in Tokyo, in Naruto's town it seemed like summer came six months earlier. She listened vaguely to Naruto explain his house. She mostly caught things like "sit on the left side of the couch, 'cause I haven't had time to fill in the hole on the right side" or "the bathroom door _does _open, you just have to - grunt- push it like - gasp - this (pant, pant)." As Tadume listened, she moved closer and closer to the door in the back, almost being drawn to it somehow.

Naruto stopped mid-sentence when he saw what she was doing. He rose a blond eyebrow and quietly followed as Tadume hesitated at the door, Naruto stepped in front of her. Tadume gasped. He slowly turned the knob, and opened the door, exposing his guest room.

The beige room said nothing, but Tadume heard something. It was a faint whisper, but it was like the room was singing an original, calming composition. She was grateful for that, and inhaled deeply. It smelled better than the kitchen, but still dusty smelling.

"The last one was kind of a neat-freak, so I just left everything the same," he commented on the mostly clean room. He was right. It was definitely clean compared to the other parts of his house.

Wait. Last one? Tadume felt her heart swelling. She was nothing special. Just another 'one'.

Naruto must've caught his under-lying meaning by looking at her face, so he added, sputtering, "Y-yeah, _he_ liked to spruce up a-a lot."

Tadume kept her face down as she took her things from his hands. She trudged her feet on the hardwood toward the bed where she put her things. Instead of unpacking, she went into the personal bathroom, and pulled the door slowly until a faint click was heard.

Naruto went back into his room, slamming the door. He was breathing hard, and needed to hit something, anything...

"Damnit!" he screamed while punching the wall. He was so close to completing his mission early. The bet was already made, and he only had three days left before that Uchiha rubbed it in his face...

* * *

The clinking of forks and cups against plates and saucers was heard the following morning. The animosity in the air was strong enough to keep both people in the small apartment quiet. They were sitting across from each other at the quaint, circular kitchen table eating runny eggs and burnt bacon; compliments of Naruto himself.

"Could you-- " Naruto cleared his throat; it was scratchy and unused, "Could you pass the salt?" Tadume picked up the salt, and moved it three inches from it's original spot. Naruto huffed as he stretched his muscular arm across the table to retrieve the salt from enemy line. Even Tadume could act like a baby when mad

Once finished with breakfast, neither moved. They still sat across each other, staring intimidatingly.

Finally, Naruto decided to start a conversation.

"Anything you wanted to... do today?" he asked, bored out of his mind. Tadume shrugged, never blinking. He sighed, bored of this game. Usually he enjoyed games. Especially ones he was good at; not talking was _not_one of his strong points.

As soon as Naruto opened his mouth to talk, Tadume stood up, and grabbed both of their plates and glasses. She walked stiffly toward the sink that was barely two feet away, and set the dishes inside, never turning around.

"I think I'm going into the city to pick up my paycheck," Naruto said aloud to no one in particular, "If anyone wanted to come, I wouldn't mind, I mean..."

Tadume squeezed the counter until her knuckles were white. He had said in in a subtle way, but she she knew it was an invitation. She wouldn't give in, she _couldn't_...

Oh, but she wanted something to do. Nothing exciting, but something. She'd already spent all of last night counting the cracks in the ceiling (2,469, mind you) and looking at the scuff marks on the floor so hard it looked like a famous State's president (Nixon? Nah, maybe Lincoln) so she knew personally there wasn't anything to do.

"Well... ," Naruto began his hand opening the front door wide enough for someone to pass through it, "I guess I better get down there before that bastard tells my boss that he's taking it to me when he really isn't--"

Tadume rushed past Naruto, her face tinted pink from defeat. Naruto smiled a foxy grin, and followed after her.

"It seems you counted the cracks in the cei--"

"Shut up."

Naruto kept his grin even as he drove out of the driveway.

This was too easy.

* * *

_Screeeeech._

Wow. Naruto had never realized how much he needed new brakes 'till now.

He looked over at Tadume whom was clutching the 'Oh shit!' handle above her head. She peeked out one eye and unclenched her face. She sighed in relief before she remembered that Naruto was in the car with her. Tadume smiled sheepishly at him and exited the car.

The building reminded her that Naruto was a cop, and that he had a gun with him at all times. She gulped audibly as the picture of her being interrogated came into her mind.

Her head shook subconsciously, not wanting that memory ever again. She was no longer her own person. She was Tadume Uehara.

'No, I'm not,' she, the nameless girl, remembered, 'I won't ever be again...'

"I just remembered that you still don't have a new name... " Naruto, seeming to read her mind, mentioned, "Any ideas?"

No name looked at him, taken aback. He was giving her the opportunity to come up with her own name. She smiled softly as she recalled the only other officer who had done that.

'Gaara...' she thought wistfully. It was a good thing they had gone their separate ways, or she might've become too attached. She blushed once more. That definitely was a close call...

"I said any ideas?" he restated, this time lightly knocking his knuckles against her head.

She glared in his directions, and then pondered. What did she want to be named....

"Ooh! Ooh!" Naruto slightly raised his hand, as if waiting to be called, "I saw an add for peaches, and they called them 'momos'! Well?!" He was certainly impatient.

"Naruto, I'm positive that I don't want to be named Peach." Though, with her hair, she could've been.

No name closed her eyes tightly, half listening, and half waiting. Would some greater being shoot a random name into her head?

"Oh, Minako. You are the most beautiful woman around..." She heard a whipped boyfriend mention.

'Minako,' she said it over. She liked the way it felt in her head, but what about outside, where it mattered.

"Minako." She said valiantly. It meant beauty, but she could lie to herself, couldn't she?

"Ah!" Naruto said mischievously, "Getting a little cocky, aren't we?"

Minako's face flushed incredibly, as did her glare. She turned her nose away from Naruto and headed through the door that led to his office.

"Ah, come on, Minako!" he shouted after her, "I was just messing." She flipped around.

"I can't believe I got a jackass as my over looker!" she breathed heavily through her nose.

At that, she walked down the hall faster, knocking over many people with papers; however, one person wouldn't fall down so easily.

"Oof," she grunted as she fell backwards onto the carpet, "Um, sorry about that..." But as she looked up at the tall stature above her, she realized she wasn't sorry at all. She was afraid. Very afraid.

Because from where she was lying on the ground, Minako could see the figure's belt loop containing a nice, shiny tool. One that can be used during murder, self-defense... or just to scare the shit out of an experienced druggie like herself.

A hand was extended out toward her and a disorientated voice made it's way to her ears, but none of the sounds or pictures around Minako were making sense. It was now leaning toward her, pouring hot liquid down her cheeks. When it reached her mouth, it tasted salty. Was it being poured? She couldn't see anything but smeared paintings in her mind.

Blond fluff came into view. It was yelling. Why was it screaming? _What_ was it screaming?

_Stay with me, Sakura?_

_Who's Sakura?_ Minako didn't have time to find out, because she saw blackness surrounding her.

The figure that once poured hot liquid down her cheeks was now blurring her vision even more. Or was it the blackness?

Either way, Minako entered the dark quietly, never saying a word. Or did she?

Damn gun.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha couldn't comprehend the fact that this girl had blacked out. All he did was reach out his hand; he knew that clients that had a drug past were timid, but he didn't know anything about this girl. She could bea loony that escaped from the mental home and was melanophobiac - which would be a bad day for her, since his suit was black.

The girl mentioned above was lying on a puce colored gurney, people just now settling down from the hubbub of her fainting; the tests showing she was not injured, but also not waking up any time soon. Sighing, obviously frustrated, Sasuke stood up from the uncomfortable clinic chair he was sitting in and moved toward the door where he stopped. He gave her one look over his shoulder.

She had a past, but, like most people, her face was so serene when she was asleep, it was hard to tell if she even had a past. But you wouldn't be here in the heart of the Tokyo Anbu Police force if you didn't.

"Who are you?" inquired the curious man. There was no response, but that was to be expected.

He left without another word.

_**Candy Mountain**_ _**Candy Mountain**_ _**Candy Mountain**_ _**Candy Mountain**_

"Miss me, Minako-chan?" Naruto grinned his cheesy grin, hoping to win her over. But she just closed her eyes and walked past him.

"I'd rather no speak to you anymore today," she said curtly. Minako was in a bad mood. Besides waking up in an uncomfortable bed made out of every material known to man that was itchy, her day wasn't going so swell to begin with.

Naruto sighed. How he hated the no-talking game she had invented. It was agonizing.

Minako had been out for about three hours, but it seemed like forever for Naruto. He had nothing to do between her fainting and eating. His hungry stomach growled before he had another thought of food.

Before he had a chance to suggest lunch, a nasal voice was heard from above.

"Agent 57281. Please report to medical lab without client."

Medical lab? Naruto's eyebrows knit together in confusion. Why would he be needed there? He just left. The only to find out would be to follow orders.

Looking around for the closest victim, he saw whom he needed.

"Oi! Teme!"

Sasuke was leaving the building with everything he needed in hand: jacket and car keys. It would be easier to concentrate on leaving if it wasn't for the nagging he heard from behind him. Maybe it was a good thing he was ignoring it. Maybe it go away...

"Turn around, chicken-ass," Naruto called louder than necessary. Sasuke growled, wondering why he thought he could drown out _that_. He reluctantly turned around and sighed in a way that resembled the big, bad wolf: long, and hope-filled to blow down whatever was in his way.

"What do you want, dobe?" Naruto grin as he pointed to the now conscious girl. Sasuke glared at him that would usually make a different man piss in his pants, but Naruto was certainly not another man. He just grinned wider, knowing the man was going to accept. Sasuke sighed.

And, as usual, he did. Sasuke did owe him, though....

At that, Agent 57281 walked to the medical lab with his client in care of Agent 57280.

_**Candy Mountain**_ _**Candy Mountain**_ _**Candy Mountain**_ _**Candy Mountain**_

Sour? No. She'd always had a sweet tooth. Salty? Negative. The time didn't call for it. Chocolate? Uh, yeah.

Minako's average fingers quickly inserted three quarters. On her way to insert the last one, her normal fingers betrayed her and let it slip through them. Minako watched in horror as it quietly rolled across the carpet and under the machine.

She cursed silently, then look over her shoulder. The only moving thing was a lone cellular phone vibrating annoyingly on the desk. Looking over the other she spotted only a door. The writing written in subtle letters on the left of it read, "Medical Room." Shrugging and hoping that no one was looking, she bent down on her hands and knees. She reached under the machine, tongue sticking out, searching for that lone quarter. Thinking she had it, Minako pulled out her fist and peeked inside.

What she saw was not a quarter, but a dead bug. Not just a dead bug, but a--

"Spider!" she screeched. She thrust it away and fell back on her hands. She crawled backwards until she ran into something hard. She looked up and saw a figure looming over her. This one was much scarier than the lone spider. It sighed and pulled up the legs of it's pants, then crouched to her height.

"If needed a quarter, you could've asked," Sasuke said in an impatient tone, "Now. Please stand up and at least try to look normal."

Minako blushed as she realized that everyone was now watching her.

"Damn spider," she muttered under her breath. Sasuke gave her a confused look and stood up. He reached a hand down. Minako, still sprawled on the floor, ignored the hand and stood up normally; she had to save what little dignity she had left.

After everyone had dispersed from the event, some snickering, Minako stared longingly at the mocking chocolate bar. It was the last one, and she wanted it so badly. Sasuke saw her struggle, and dug in his pocket for a few seconds. Finally achieving what was wanted, he slipped the coin through the thin slot smoothly.

_Ker-chunk_.

_**Candy Mountain**_ _**Candy Mountain**_ _**Candy Mountain**_ _**Candy Mountain**_

Naruto silently slipped in, looking around the white room; metal tables were lined in rows, having a beaker of some sort or chemical container covering the entire table. It looked like his tenth year biology class. He shuddered at the thought. He'd failed that class.

Nauto walked up to one of the tables, licking his finger along the way. He rubbed the wet pointer along the rim of one beaker. A nice hum illuminated the room. He smiled. That's one thing he had learned from the class.

"Oh, Agent 57281?" a voice called, trying to get his attention. During the process, Naruto jumped and knocked over the beaker, spilling whatever was in the glass onto the table.

The older blond closed her eyes and sighed. Shoving the folder she was holding into Naruto's hands, she walked past him to the sink in the corner of the room. Ripping off a paper towel, she walked back to where the liquid was spreading. She quickly cleaned it up and washed her hands.

Walking back to the scene of the crime where Naruto stood sheepishly, she glared at him and pulled her papers back.

"Be careful next time, please. If you don't recall, this isn't tenth-grade biology you're dealing with," Naruto's once biology teacher Tsunade reminded him. She moved her long bangs out her eyes and breathed out.

"Never left my mind, baa-chan," Naruto said with a child-like grin, "So, what's on your mind? And why didn't you want Minako with me?"

Tsunade's thin eyebrow rose in a curve. Had she asked for the wrong agent?

"O-oh!" Naruto remembered, "We had to give her a new name; ya' know, create a profile?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes at his comment. Of course she knew: why else would she be a top strategic if she didn't.

"Well, Uzumaki," Tsunade suddenly turned serious, "It seems there's a flaw in your job protecting Haruno Sakura." Naruto, losing his joking manner, turned austere, also.

"How do you mean?" he asked hesitantly.

Tsunade sighed, knowing he wouldn't like what she was about to tell him.

"The offender, Geraldo Kitsune, an American whose mother and father were Japanese, has been declared... missing."

"Missing?" Naruto inquired, "I thought he was in jail? How can that happen?"

"Well," Tsunade sighed, "Apparently, he had escaped jail before we received Haruno's file. So a few days after you took on the case, we were sent a notice saying that he was now on the top-most wanted list in Tokyo."

Naruto's fist tightened each time he heard the name. He was the reason Minako couldn't live a normal life. Well, that and her previous drug life. Naruto's eyes hardened at the thought of drug users. They got themselves into crap alone, then dragged others down with them.

The thought of Sasuke filled his mind with rage, but made his fist unclench a tad. At least there was proof that you could still be good.

"So, you're saying that he could be anywhere in the city?" Naruto commented, trying to stay calm.

"Don't go to extremes just yet, Naruto," the aged woman said sternly, "He was imprisoned in Kitakyushu: one of the greatest prisons in the country. And on the other side of the country. I'm letting you know this information to be cautious and aware; not crazy and paranoid."

Naruto said nothing and stared at the ground, feeling degraded. Tsunade closed her eyes and sighed. She shouldn't have used the word paranoid. He had every reason to be.

If he had anymore questions, he didn't make them known before he silently left the room.

_**Candy Mountain**_ _**Candy Mountain**_ _**Candy Mountain**_ _**Candy Mountain**_

"So... you're a cop?" Minako asked, already knowing the answer. Sasuke nodded, not saying too many words to begin with.

The two were walking down the busy streets of Tokyo and looking for a place to eat. In a big city, they expected to see many places, but found none.

Minako took off her coat, feeling the last rays of sunshine before it became winter. Sasuke walked wordlessly beside her, trying to make it look as if they were aqquainted with each other. But Sasuke could tell they looked as awkward as they felt. Once, a photographer tried to set them in a couples picture. But they blushed just in time for the woman to realize they weren't intimate.

Although he was only a temporary protection, Sasuke felt as if he should know her better.

_But what could be asked?_ he thought, exasperated.

"What's your name?" His mouth opened before he wanted it to, and now Sasuke had started a conversation - something that rarely happens.

Minako, surprised by his sudden talking, knit her brows together. Why would he want to know? He was just a small watchman sent by Naruto. Maybe it would hurt to say something...

"Minako." _Yeah, now, anyway..._ she bitterly added in her mind.

"Hn," he grunted. Had she herself chosen that name or was it just Naruto mocking him. Both?

Ahh, his brain was analyzing too many things at once. Hopefully they would reach a food place soon. His stomach was interrupting his mind.

Minako looked at how he scowled at all the signs that they had past. It seemed like nothing pleased him. Maybe nothing did.

The strange pair walked the streets, pausing to glance at hopefully food signs, but found none.

Then, Minako saw a sign for flower seeds.

Hadn't she just seen that about ten minutes ago?

"I'm just curious, but... " she paused as she looked around, "don't you live in this town? How can you not know where we going?"

"What?!" Sasuke asked sharply while snapping his head towards her, "Of course I know where we're going. Why?"

"Well, it seems as if we're going in circles," she commented innocently. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He didn't live in this part of town, but that didn't make him a complete dobe.

"We're not." The words were so flat, it was amazing someone could be that blunt.

"I'm just giving my opinion," Minako mumbled defiantly. God, she had wanted words, but not so much that he was rude about it. She dully noted that whoever this cop was, he didn't like to be called on his mistakes.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Hope you enjoyed what I posted. Please try to understand that this is a revised version of chapter 2.**

**Heh, heh... you 1st reviewers were my guinea pigs!!! XD **

**Keep an eye out for the next one coming ASAP!!!  
**

**melanophobic - phobia of the color black or dark colors**

**_Zombie-Fighter007_  
**


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